Due to COVID-19, the Cardio Department at Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva has been facing a backlog of patients.

These patients are waiting to undergo heart-related procedures.

One, in particular, is the Percutaneous Coronary Intervention or stenting which has only been conducted by visiting medical teams.

Local interventional cardiologists Dr Bharat Bali and Dr Shahin Nusair have now stepped up to conduct these non-surgical procedures in hopes of clearing the hospital’s waiting list.

Dr Bali says they have so far successfully completed four stenting procedures.

“There is a long list of patients waiting. I don’t have the exact numbers but around maybe for stenting we have fifty-plus numbers and for a diagnostic angiogram, we have a waiting list more than 200 patients.”

He says due to the lockdowns and COVID-19 travel bans, overseas medical teams are restricted from visiting.

Health Minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete says he has full confidence in the cardio team and having the two cardiologists conduct Fiji’s first independent PCI is a milestone achievement.